


Second Chances

by rocksngalad



Category: Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2015-02-06
Packaged: 2018-03-04 00:57:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2903447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rocksngalad/pseuds/rocksngalad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the little town of Lornsdorf, the Master plans complete world domination. A second chance to strike against his foe the Doctor. Thinking he’s the last survivor of a time war he himself ended, the Ninth Doctor may unexpectedly have a chance at redemption. Meanwhile, not all the inhabitants of Lornsdorf are in the mood to stand idly by and Rose has her own plans up her sleeve. Multi-chapter.</p><p>Rated teen for mild use of language and violence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Innominate Companion

_Innominate companion,_

_Weep and rejoice! For the first time in your insignificant lifespan have you now been in the presence of_ _true genius. Your fate, makeshift mortal, is to bear the banner of my triumphant return. Tell that buffoon you follow: Lornsdorf, turn of the century. That wretched box of his will find me. Total planetary domination is now within my grasp. His only recourse now is to witness the might of my power._

_Prepare yourself! For soon we will see 'who' the most scientific mind on the planet is - and yes, the true lord of time and the universe itself._

_Now begins the reign of the Master._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  


Rose blew the bangs out of her face and reached overhead to grab another chip off the basket on the console floor. The grease had left a smudge on the letterhead, blurring the lines together on _triumphant return._

“Doctor?” She asked, nibbling idly on her chip.

“Yes, Rose.”

“I think it's about time I visit mum.”

There was a bump from underneath the console and for a couple moments the previous clankings and mutterings ceased. Then they continued, though with considerably more vigor.

“Is it then?”

“Hmmm.”

“Didn't we just go see your mum? On Saint Paddy's day? She had paint on her face and came home from the pub singin' with that wide nosed man.”

“You mean her friend Bev.”

“She tried to feed me old chicken, Rose.”

“You were bein' an arse about her cooking.”

“It was at least a day old on the counter. I'm still not over it!”

Another vigorous clank and then all noise stopped. She tipped her chin up and brown eyes met blue.

He was wearing his daft headlamp, perched at an odd angle over his two wide ears, body still halfway down the shaft by the TARDIS console. Even with his head supported on both his arms, due to the low ceiling, he still managed to look indecently charismatic. Rose smiled widely at him and his eyes crinkled slightly in response.

“Comfy, are we?”

Rose herself was lying upside down on the jump seat. Legs slung over the rim of the chair, letter in one hand, and lazily munching from a basket of chips on the floor behind her. She studied his face, noted the tightness of his jaw and shoulders, the strain that would surely follow down his back concealed by the weight of the black leather jacket.

“For dinner, Doctor.” She said gently. “That's it.”

“Hmmmm.” His jaw twitched.

“And then, I think it's about time you made good on yesterday's promise. What was it you said after I got covered in muck at the swamps?” She deepened her voice and affected a northern accent. “'Don' worry, Rose. I'll make it up to you. Nothin' like a time lord to show you a proper 'oliday?' Well, it's almost Christmas back home and I'm calling on you to make good!”

“Oh, why didn't you mention that earlier?” The Doctor exclaimed jovially. “If it's a proper Christmas holiday you want, we won't have to stop at Jackie's! Think of the possibilities! The snowy slopes of Pollux minor? The snowflake sanctuary on Aldeberan II? They've caught every type of snowflake in a glass museum, Rose. It's fantastic!” He gestured widely with the temporal spanner. “They've created an entire ice maze modeled on the structure of the most popular snowflake. Entirely crystallized. I once threw the vote on that ballot. Encouraged everyone to vote for a snowflake shaped like the Tzar of Puton's left foot. Caused a bit of political upheaval, that stunt did.”

“That sounds nice, Doctor, but I was thinking more along the lines of a winter fair. Like the Cristkindlemarkt at Lornsdorf.”

“The one in Norway? How'd you know about that?”

“I listen to you when you talk, Doctor.” She said, lazily examining her fingernails. Or at least, she knew how to use a search engine on her souped up superphone. “The greatest Christmastown in Northern Europe. At least where aesthetics, not profit are concerned.”

“So it is.” He scrambled out of the hole and crab crawled from underneath the console towards her. He didn't stop until they were almost nose to nose. Rose blinked and tried to school her features. A feat, that was luckily easier to accomplish when hanging lopsided.

“Hmmmm.” He mused. “That market place was destroyed by an avalanche mid-century. If we want to get the best out of that holiday I promised you, we'd better go early turn of the century, well before it happens.”

“Oh, well, fancy that.”

He stretched out his long frame and stood looking down at her.

“Lucky for you, you've got the universes' one and only time lord to take you there.”

She graced him with a big fake smile. “Yes, I am.”

He looked at her speculatively. “Aesthetics, not profit, huh?”

After the Doctor had wandered off to set up the dematerialization process, Rose took the letter and carefully folded it back into her pocket. _Witness and weep!,_ the author had claimed. She snorted to herself, amused. This 'Master' couldn't have been more obvious if he'd shown up wearing a schoolboy cap and pulling on a little girl's pigtails whining “Look at me! Why don't you look at me? I'm the best!” Well, whatever egomaniacal complex this Master was dealing with, the letter told her he was going to be important to her friend. She looked up to see the Doctor fiddling with his TARDIS controls and humming softly to himself. If there was only one thing that she was sure of in her new life, it was that it was her job to take care of him.

The letter had been delivered to her during their escapade on Justica Alpha. A black clad villainous looking man, who she'd at first mistaken for a well dressed prison guard, had delivered it to her with a curt bow and a practiced sneer after she and the Doctor had become separated. Then, she had read the phrase: “ _T_ _rue lord of time and the universe itself”_ _and her whole world had changed._ The Doctor and the Dalek had been wrong. She had felt the truth of it vibrate down to her bones. Another time lord had survived the time war. And that meant...

Rose studied his beloved profile from her position on the jump seat: The slight slump of his shoulders, that manic energy, his ever-present protective covering...

He wasn't alone, her Doctor.

He would never be alone if she had anything to say about it.

And if she was right, which she knew she was, if this self-inflated Master was another time lord, then it was up to her to find him, bash him over the head if necessary, and keep on his pompous arse until he would see the need to reconcile. It was, after all, the best way to protect the Doctor. She hoped.

His enthusiastic voice startled her out of her thoughts.

“You and me, Rose! Gingerbread, chestnuts, frosty toes, those funny little puppets that hit each other with sticks. It'll be fantastic!”

“Yes, Doctor.” Rose turned herself rightside up, walked over into his arms, and smiled brightly up into his face.

“But first,” his manic grin faded a little.

“Mum's.”

Another Time Lord or no, she was getting the taser out of mum's purse before they left.


	2. Butterflies and Second Chances

“ _I tell of hearts and souls and dances...  
Butterflies and second chances;_

- _Karen Kingsbury_

 

The icy wind flew down the smooth bowl of the valley and hit the Doctor's skin with all the subtlety of a bucket full of water. For a precious moment it reached down into his throat and snatched his breath away. Then his senses adjusted, the numbing cold turned into a refreshing tingle, and the skin-tightening chill loosed from lips and cheeks into a gentle thaw. He threw his head back into the full force of the wind and took a deep breath from this strange alien planet. It smelled clean, and pure, and lifeless. Like winter had laid a thick blanket of ice and snow over the valley to offer its inhabitants the relief of a clean slate.

Next to him Rose's cheeks were already rosy with the cold. The pom-pom of her hat had a light frosting of snow, as if its only function were to catch each and every one of the thick lazy snowflakes drifting aimlessly around them.

“Look at you, bellowing into the wind like a cave man.”

“That's me. The original crack specimen.”

She punched his arm playfully. “And so modest too.”

She stood by him and together they admired the tiny town mired in the box canyon below. It was large for such an isolated location, though the town boasted only one main thoroughfare with all the houses nestled in little triangles and squares beside it. It was early noon, yet lanterns already shone bright and welcoming in the open area at the end of the main road. As they stood silently side-by-side, church bells pealed clearly across the valley. The chimes resonating off the mountains in a merry tune, jumping and chasing each other through the clear mountain air.

“Traveling with you, Doctor. It's good for me.”

He scoffed at the sentiment but stopped himself from ribbing on her further when he noticed that Rose was taking the statement strangely seriously. Her face was firm and she was staring fiercely out onto the vista below. There was a light in her eyes, her entire body almost glowing from some sort of inner determination.

“It's like standing on top of this hill, yeah? I have no idea what's in that town below us, but here I am anyway, Rose Tyler of the Powell Estates, and I'm going to go down there.”

She shifted her feet from side to side. Fidgeting, as she searched for the right words to express herself.

“I was scared when I got off the TARDIS just now. The snow on this mountain, see, it's unfamiliar and it changes when I walk. At first it crunches, but then it squeaks and I can feel the pressure of my step reverberate downwards. It's as if I'm standing on a crust and there's this hollow space beneath me. I don't know, like a chasm or...”

“A crevasse.”

“That's the word! It feels like there's a crevasse underneath my boots. So, I only put my weight on it slow like, to test its strength, yeah? It's solid. And I think to myself, this mountain's right by a peaceful village. They'd probably have signs and rope and stuff out if it was dangerous. But I don't know that for certain. And I don't want to call out to you cause it's embarrassin', yeah? So I stand there instead. Too scared to step forward, too scared to go back, too scared to move anywhere really. Nothin' else to do but look up and that's when I actually realize where I am. I notice the village below, the ice all around, and the light! There's light everywhere on this snow. It's sparkly, and blue, and even a bit pink! And by the village, the colors from the ice, they sparkle and wave in these golden ribbons. It's beautiful! So clear! It gave me the courage to take another step. The snow held my weight. Then I took another couple steps to get to you.” She smiled proudly. “I'm going down to that village there and I'm going to see what's by those lanterns by that golden ribbon road and nothing in this universe is gonna stop me!” She turned then and looked him square in the eyes. “That's what is amazin'. Cause I did it, even though I was scared. And that chance, Doctor, that's what you've given me.”

For a wild moment, the Doctor felt his whole body lighten and relax. The sensation was so unfamiliar that at first he didn't know what was happening. The knot lodged deep in his chest loosened just a jot and the sting of fear and guilt, caused by the latest Tyler family visit, faded once again into the background.

He shook his his head mutely and slipped his left hand into hers. He didn't know how she did it, but she amazed him. Each and every time. He couldn't put his finger on it. Yet, after seeing her in action time and again, he'd come to terms that there were a few things even his Time Lord brain couldn't make sense of. A middling very few things. There was no reason, however, for Rose, or anyone else for that matter to ever know that.

Truth was, he wasn't the man he used to be. He doubted any of his previous selves would even recognize him anymore. Now, when _he_ stood at the abyss, he didn't take that step forward. Instead, like a coward, he fell to his knees and grabbed for any shred of comfort, any damned little thing to keep the darkness and everpresent silence from swallowing him whole. Even Jackie's worry and looks of concern wouldn't change that in the end. His jaw twitched, his back knotted up again and he stiffly adjusted the fit of his jacket.

“There you go again, Rose Tyler, always knowing the right thing to say.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Should we get to town then? See if we can find what's at the end of that golden road of yours?”

“Only if you can keep up, Time Lord! I wouldn't be surprised if those nine hundred years of yours are finally starting to show!”

“Oi! That's rude.”

He pulled her forward into a blundering run until they almost tipped laughingly into a snowdrift. Then, together, they navigated their way down the slope of the pass. From town, those who had the grace to look up could just make out two snow-kissed figures stumbling side-by-side into the gathering dusk of the village.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

  
  


The lanterns led them to glowing market full of bustle and color.

“I can't believe it's only 2 o'clock in the afternoon! It's dark already!“ Rose leaned against his arm as an old woman, dressed tip to toe in winter layers, brushed brusquely past them. Night had found the market and wreathed it in a cloak of winter colors. Vendors called out their wares. Customers with wicker baskets slung over their arms haggled over prices. Choral music drifted from the central chapel and the heady scent of baked goods, spiced wine, and burnt meat wafted over the cool winter air.

The Doctor grabbed two mugs of mulled wine with orange peel and handed a copper sovereign to the vendor in exchange. It wasn't the right currency for the region but would be worth much more if the man had the presence of mind to look closely. The mulled wine was hot and sweet and spicy; the taste exploding on his tongue and settling pleasantly warm in his stomach. Rose grinned widely through the steam of her own drink.

“Only three more days till Christmas here. It's the busiest time of the season.”

“Ah, you mean to say you brought me to the most wonderful time of the year?”

The Doctor laughed into his drink. “Well, I'm not one to boast, but just from this one corner I can see at least three kids jingle belling and a'caroling out in the snow.” He gestured widely with his mug. “And see that old crofter over there? I bet you five quid that I can get him to tell long tales of the glories of Christmases long long ago.”

She gave her tongue-touched grin. “No bet, that's easy! What I want to know is where are the marshmallows for toasting?”

“Rose, you couldn't find marshmallows even in the Americas in this time and age. Right now they're just a medicinal substance of mucilaginous extract used to sooth the throats of gaffers like that one.

“Ew.”

“Like I said, I wouldn't want to boast.”

“I'll stick to the holiday greetings then.”

“And gay happy meetings!” He took a final cheerful slurp from his cup. “To Lornsdorf, and whatever new meetings may fall!”

Strangely, instead of laughing and drinking boisterously to his last quip, Rose swallowed and looked down at her mug. When she finally did look up again, her attention was fixed rigidly on something beside his left ear.

“Doctor! Look over there! He's blowing fire into a glass ball.” Before he could even respond Rose had jumped up off her seat and run over to check it out.

She was really acting odd today.

The glassblowers hut Rose had absconded to was the perfect representation of old world charm and holiday cheer. The entire stall was surrounded by a glittering ring of lanterns. Glass ornaments - colored, dyed, and painted with tender care covered every available surface. Up above, natural icicles clung from the wooden beams. The whole scene rendered an unmistakable dichotomy between the substances of glass, ice, and light. In the middle of the hut, surrounded by a crowd of awed spectators, a glassmith stood at work.

As he walked up, the smith was in the process of inflating a molten bubble of glass spooled to the end of a short blowpipe. With short, careful puffs of air, the liquid structure expanded, stretched languorously, and began to form into its predestined shape. Rose gave a short gasp beside him.

“It's a star! He's forming arms out of that bubble of glass!”

She was right. As they watched, the molten blob began to gain shape. Heated atoms, held by chemical bonds in a disordered and random network began to cool and gradually harden into a new order of being. A miniature birth held together by science and craft. He felt a grin form from one ear to another. He could appreciate the art of flashy science. One final decisive puff of air, and the glassmith reached for his metal tongs, cut his creation off at its base and set it down carefully upon the cooling rack. Only then did he turn to the crowd and give a firm satisfied smile. The spectators burst into applause. An elderly woman bustled up and began taking orders and distributing change. Behind her, a young brunette sat packaging purchases in bright colored paper.

The Doctor bent slightly so Rose could hear. “You couldn't see it in the star, but he's adding color to the ornaments by using powders, frits, and bars. The patterns and designs are caused by different rates of cooling.”

“It's beautiful.” Rose breathed. “Wait a mo'. I'm going to buy it.”

He let her rob his pocket of a couple coppers and watched indulgently as she haggled, hit it off famously with the vendor, and after an age came, passed, and was born anew, eventually wandered back to him clutching her brightly packaged star.

“Make friends everywhere, do you?”

“Mmmm, I learn from the best.” She bit her lip and glanced worriedly through the crowd. “Doctor, while we were chattin' the glassblowers wife said they were doin' well this season despite the curfew. Said it was 'cause most of the other big attractions closed down. When I asked what she meant, she mentioned dangerous roads and fussed away. 'Twas a bit weird.”

“I'm sure it's nothing, Rose. These towns are often snowed in for months at a time. Winter roads and such.”

“Yeah, I guess. But a curfew?”

“We'll keep an eye out. If there's trouble it'll find us soon enough.”

Her eyes darted left. “I guess so.”

They wandered towards the edge of the market and as the old woman had predicted, most of the stalls stood cold and deserted. They passed a darkened pen that had once advertised horse-drawn sleigh rides. Without the bustle and cheer of the activity behind them, the abandoned pen looked downright eerie. Rose patted her right pocket and then grabbed his hand tight as if to reassure herself. He gave her a measured look. Unremittant lip biting. Constant flicks of the head. Hair tucked behind her ear three times in just as many minutes. She was worried. That much was clear. However, whatever it was that was bothering her wasn't something she thought fit to share. Well, that was fine by him. It was good that she was learning not to carry her heart out on her sleeve all the time. It caused nothing but pretty boys and trouble. And it was none of his business anyway.

He often worried that he'd deprived her of a normal adolescent life filled with regular human-addled things just because he didn't want to carry his burden alone. She, out of all his previous companions, seemed to require a much more particular human element that he really didn't know what to do with. Perhaps she was pining away about some nonsense Jackie had filled her head with during dinner. In that case, it really wasn't his business to broach the subject with her, though he continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye anyway.

They found their way back to the center of the square and soon fell back into their natural rhythm. She asking questions, him answering brilliantly. Their active to and fro fit the pulse of the market. Nutcrackers, wooden puppets, bronze engraved knick-knacks with pictures of stars, snowflakes, and curiously, butterflies, were all carefully inspected and commented upon; although to his trained eye the variety did seem a bit sparse considering the busy time of year. Food vendors hawked almonds, sweet meats, pies, bread with meat stew steaming temptingly from the center, gingerbread, cakes, and an endless variety of biscuits. He lost many a copper bit to them.

As they wandered towards the last unexplored corner of the festival, many of the stalls started to feature a sparser and sparser variety of goods. It soon became evident that most of the vendors were packing up for the day. Lanterns were extinguished. Store fronts boarded up. The melodies inside the church ceased and soon after, the church lights darkened. Now that they were aware of the change, it seemed as if the two of them had missed some invisible signal telling everyone to stop what they were doing and close shop. One harried man simply handed Rose the rest of his wares mumbling that it was time to pack up anyway.

“Is it usual for a place like this to close up so early?” Rose asked as she chewed on one of the abandoned gingerbreads. She grabbed his wrist and took a peak at his watch. “It's barely 3 o'clock!”

“Doesn't seem likely, does it?”

“You think this is the curfew?”

His intended reply was cut short by an anachronistic crackle of static that reverberated across the entire marketplace. It was soon followed by a long, high pitched screech that made almost everyone cry out and drop whatever they were holding to cover their ears. One red-faced man cursed loudly, shaking his fist threateningly at the sky before stomping off with his wheelbarrow full of goods. A few others followed suit, stalking out with jutted chins and white knuckled fists, while other villagers simply disappeared silently into the background. The vast majority of the residents, however, stayed put. They stood with their heads poised and still, as if waiting for some unseen proclamation to regal them from above.

When it came, it came as a sudden fanfare of trumpets, pretentious and canned, that crackled flatly through a hidden loudspeaker placed somewhere high above the marketplace.

“Citizens of Lornsdorf!” A voice proclaimed loud and tonelessly. A prerecording, then. Of course, that begged the question of how that sort of technology had found its way to the wrong place and time. It looked like he and Rose would have a mystery to solve after all. And some technology to appropriate.

“The time has come to serve and obey! Cast down the weary shackles of your lives and listen to the call of your master. He tells you to come. Rejoice, citizens! Rejoice and work!” Definitely out-of-earth visitors with a work agenda were responsible for this. And from the sound of them, it would be a race of the organized, pompous variety. Sontarans, perhaps? The Sycorax?

The trumpets continued to blare while a flow of Lornsdorf residents began to trudge resignedly towards the dark foothills that rose behind the unlit spires of the church. Some villagers walked grudgingly, but others moved blindly and robotically. The latter sort looked stiff as if their limbs no longer quite belonged to them.

“What's happening?” Rose cried beside him as scores of people began to swarm past them. She grabbed a woman out of the crowd who looked a bit more conscious than the rest. “You're not seriously listening to this nonsense? It's night out! You'll all freeze!”

The woman gave an annoyed one-shouldered shrug to loosen Rose's hand. “We don't have much choice in the matter, do we? Besides,” She gestured with her chin towards an elderly gentleman tottering mechanically up the path ahead. “Who'd take care of him if I didn't go?”

Rose watched her leave aghast.

“What's goin' on, Doctor?”

“Hypnosis. The powerful mind control sort. Seen it before actually.”

“You've seen this before?”

“Yeah, it's a popular method for industrial species lookin to get some grunge work done.”

“Grunge work!”

“Yup, you know, resource gathering, heavy labor, waste disposal, the like.” Rose stared at him in horror. “Oh, don't act so shocked. The concept is hardly unfamiliar to humans.” He rubbed his hands on his trousers. “This hypnosis though, it's a bit unique. It seems to affect only one in five of them and those who do have it....” He stared critically at the villagers. Something in their blank eyes tugged at him, a nagging familiarity that rose from an age no longer there. “It seems to take them over completely. Pretty sophisticated, really. A friend of mine used to do it for kicks. He was completely off his nut. He once...” His expression darkened. “Well, never you mind what he once did.“ He tapped his temple. “It's gone now.”

Rose shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. “How do you know that, Doctor? That they're all gone, I mean. Couldn't there be a chance? Just a possible chance that...”

The storm of rage and guilt at the question smashed through him so sudden and unexpectedly that he crumpled down before it. It took him a moment to realize where he was and another moment to effectively convince himself that the war was truly over and done with. The fear and loneliness at the realization lingered on though and when he opened his eyes he knew that it must all have been visible on his face. Rose stood there shocked and terrified and he sensed her visibly fighting the urge to take a step back before him. He must be a sight. A murderous, broken, bastard wreck of a sight. He turned his back and forcibly reigned in his emotions. He hated how he couldn't control how it broke over him.

“I just know, Rose.”

The silence in his head was resounding in its agreement.

A beat passed and then he felt her small hand slip firmly into his. “Let's go, Doctor.” He had to hold himself back from letting loose a wracked up sob of relief. Pathetic.

They followed the rest of the crowd silently through the square and towards the foothills behind the church. The market seemed ghostlike now that most of the lights had been extinguished. The mountains ahead formed a dark layer of black against the yawning maw of night behind. It would be cold for Rose out there. He'd have to keep an eye on her as they walked.

Much of the crowd had disappeared already, though a few stragglers were chatting as they walked, the normalcy of the act making the entire situation seem even more surreal. However, as they passed the glassmith's hut, their attention was caught by a loud exchange of angry voices. Then there came a crash and a ringing of shattering glass that had both Rose and him bounding instinctively towards the commotion. It had sounded as if something had been thrown at the ornaments in anger.

They came across a young man and the glassblower locked face to face in an exchange of angry words and gestures. Even as they watched, the younger man grabbed two fistfuls of the older man's shirt, lifted him up, and pushed him bodily against the counter. The counter broke from the assault, causing glass ornaments to crash and fall around both combatants.

“Oi!”

The Doctor was there in two long strides. He yanked the young assailant away by his collar. The glassmith himself sat sad and uncomplaining on the ground, a tinkling shower of shattered ornaments raining down about him.

“Fine!” The younger man rasped, his voice hoarse from all the shouting he'd done. His hat, lost in the scuffle, left his face exposed, beet-red and trembling. “If you will not do anything to help. If you are so happy to let her go without a care...” He bent down to retrieve his hat on the ground, but missed his grip from the force of his emotion. “Without even the decency of pretending to care!” He finally managed to snag his hat in a desperate bid. “It is fine. I give up. I will go after her myself.”

The younger man straightened and turned his back on the silent man he'd just assaulted. Sweat stuck his hair across his forehead in dark blond clumps. He made as if to walk past the Doctor and ran his hands aggressively through those clumps when the Doctor side-stepped to block his path.

“Let me go. I will not touch him again.” He sighed deeply. “I just now realized he is not worth my effort.”

Glass crunched behind them as Rose helped the elderly gentleman to his feet.

The two stared at each other a couple beats more and then the Doctor gave a curt nod and stepped aside.

“Thank you.”

The young man broke into a jog and disappeared behind the last droves of people rounding the church towards the darkness behind. Rose stepped up beside him.

“Blimey...” she breathed. “You men sure know how to put on a good show.”

He self-consciously tugged his ear then crossed his arms.

“What do we do now?”

“Well, Rose Tyler, I think we found ourselves an adventure. Several in fact. What do you say? Do we follow?”

She gave a cheerful laugh and shared her tongue-touched grin with him.

“Yes, Doctor. I say we follow.”


	3. Strange Frenzy

_We were the fools who could not rest_ _  
_ _In the dull earth we left behind_ _  
_ _And burned with passion for the cold_ _  
_ _And drank strange frenzy from its wind._   
-St. John Lucas

 

Behind the church, the road wound around a fenced hillock and then began to ascend steadily upwards. It floated ahead of them in a sea of eerie white with shadowy figures stumbling in and out of the mist.

The walk itself was grueling. In all the rush and excitement of the market, Rose hadn't quite realized she'd signed up for yet another slog that essentially led out of a deep mountain crater. From what she could figure, wherever the villagers were being summoned involved a _long_ upward march.

“You all right, there?”

She was gratified to see that the Doctor's eyelashes sported at least a light frosting of snow though he didn't seem to be cold or out of breath.

“Yeah.”

Up, up, up the road led out of the valley, onto a ridge that then circled the spine of the mountain. The wind was blowing downwards from on high and since they were heading upwards, it meant they were walking into a fierce, cutting headwind. It was the purest air Rose had ever smelled. The cleanest force she'd ever felt. The rawest air she'd ever gasped. She was definitely out of shape for this sort of footslog and the wind whipped all about her. She'd overlayered in the TARDIS by adding an extra sweater to her ensemble and was in the process of breaking the Doctor's Number 1 cold weather survival rule of not sweating. “Sweat freezes, so avoid sweat at all costs.” He'd lectured. “I know a woman on Polar Gamma who went outside after running in the gym and had her bra freeze straight to her after only 30 seconds outside. Her mates had to blow-dry it off her.” Rose surreptitiously adjusted the fit of her shirt, settled into a rhythm, and took off the outer layer of one glove to cool down her body temperature as he'd advised. They trekked on.

The wind blew snaky shapes around them; frisking and galloping along the ground in snowy lines. Sometimes the wisps flew up as high as their heads, but mostly they danced at knee height above the ground. After her cheeks had turned numb and she'd decided not to try smiling for fear her teeth would shatter, the two of them finally reached an intersection. Unfortunately, it wasn't their destination, as the villagers had only turned right and the path continued upwards from there. Rose hoped the hypnotized villagers were all dressed warm enough.

Wind now began buffeting them from the side. Not relishing the idea of frostbite, Rose pulled her scarf up all the way to her eyes, her hood down past her eyebrows. The scene ahead was now skewed diagonally because of the steepness of the track. There was only a strip of icy white, and a triangle of black in her vision. She willingly sacrificed the scenery for the safety of her face and the road stretched on in a perpetual line of white and black.  
  
“Talk to me, Doctor,” she huffed.

“What about?” Somewhen he'd bundled up in a hat and mittens too, though he still wore his everpresent leather jacket. If she'd ever doubted he was alien she would have believed it now. There was no way he'd make it out here dressed like that if he'd been just any bloke.

“I dunno. Zombies?” Worried as she was about the villagers, the stumbling shadowy figures up ahead were downright creepy: Sometimes mechanical, sometimes lumbering, always methodical and obscured. She longed to ask about the time lord friend he'd alluded to earlier, the Master, she feared, but she knew any talk of that sort would be immediately shut down. It made her feel a bit easier about her deception in bringing him here though. The man couldn't hold a serious conversation to save his life. She just wished she had more information to work with outside of her gut instinct telling her he needed to face this.

She peeked over at his long form beside her and bit her lip. She was not looking forward to the moment when he finally figured her out.

“I'm a man of science, Rose. Zombies don't exist.”

“Says the alien in the leather jacket following a group of mind controlled Norwegians through a snow storm.”

“Hypnosis, Rose. Hypnosis is a perfectly sound and proven scientific concept.” He turned and touched her nose lightly through her scarf. “And the only alien in this conversation is right here.”

She puffed his finger away. “Well, it's cold and I need entertainin'. You think we're almost there? Will they be alright in all this?”

“Only one way to find out, Rose.”

She huffed again, her breath crystallizing to her scarf in a sheet of ice that in turn chafed frigidly against her cheeks. And why were her eyes so sticky? Was that her eye-lashes freezing together? Mental. Completely mental. They would have to reach their destination soon or somebody would freeze solid or be permanently blinded.

“Zombies are a modern earth construct, you know.” The Doctor's voice floated over the wind. The smooth timber of his voice an immediate welcome distraction. “Zombies are downright contemporary if you compare them to other mythological constructs like vampires and werewolves.”

“Vampires don't exist either?”

“Vampires and Werewolves are purely mythological. Humans invented them to explain natural phenomena that frightened them. A way to address things that went bump in the night. And perhaps to excuse the odd alien lifeform that popped up.”

“So there _are_ alien vampires, then.”

The Doctor huffed a laugh. “If that's what you apes like to think.”

“No, really Doctor. Are there alien bats flying around space and time, drinking blood, and kidnapping virgins?”

“That's ridiculous, Rose.”

“Good.”

“They swim.”

“Oh.”

They trudged on.

“Zombies are interestin' from an anthropological viewpoint though. You can track the fears and desires of your entire culture in their existence. For example, some of you humans 'discover' tropical islands and suddenly Zombies rise from the grave through voodoo. You enter the Cold War and bam! all your Zombies come about through nuclear radiation.”

Rose had never thought of it like that when she and Mickey had been sitting on the couch. They'd laughed at the bad acting and the ridiculous stage props. Mickey had used the scary parts to cop a feel. She'd fed him crisps. She hadn't once stopped to consider how the monsters changed through the lens of time.

“It was during the American civil rights movement that zombies became really meaningful. This director, George Romero, cast only African American actors as his leads in a time when such a concept was unheard of.” He snorted derisively. “Your species never fails to amaze me with its ignorance. Still, zombies did become a vehicle and youth motivator for a movement that worked to make your earth a better place.”

“And now zombies are fast.”

“Yeah, your zombies are speedy. Fierce, and fast; Just like all that junk technology you're toting about like toddlers. Always talking, rarely saying anything.” He shook his head. “You're not a people that likes to wait for results.”

He rubbed his hands together before putting them back in his pockets. He seemed to be mulling over the issue. “But what's really fascinatin', Rose, is that in your time, the movies portray the world as mostly gone. Absolutely destroyed. And what's left of humanity isn't pretty.” He frowned. “All those fears you're ignoring in real life; rivers drying up, resources running low, overpopulation, disease, economic gaps...you actually talk about them in your zombie movies. It's about society changing, deconstructing, a new start. The fear of apocalypse, too.”

Rose thought about that.

“Beautiful to see, really. You apes discussing your societal constructs in the landscapes of your horror flicks.”

“The beauty comes through the monsters.”

“Oh, yes. Though in my experience, the monsters to watch for are usually the ones people carry inside. You can stop now, Rose. We're here.”

Rose had been moving forward in a kind of benumbed haze. Too tired to realize they'd finally made it to their destination. Now, she lowered her ice-encrusted scarf to take a look around. A long u-shaped valley, lit at its foot by hundreds of work lights, spanned to the far right. Most of the villagers were huddled around barrel fires to warm themselves up after the long walk. Earlier arrivals had already grabbed shovels and pick-axes from work sheds and were heading further into the gloom. To her left, the road disappeared into the dark.

“You all right, Rose?” The Doctor had taken her hands and was rubbing them gently through her mittens to increase the circulation.

“Yeah. 'Mm a bit cold, though.”

“Let's see about that.” He took out his sonic screwdriver, fiddled with the setting, and let its blue light whirr softly over her face, scarf, and hands. The encrustations of ice on the scarf thankfully dried out and disappeared entirely. Then a light buzzing warmth passed gently through her cheeks, face, and hands. The relief made her immediately feel ten pounds lighter.

“That's amazin'. Thank you!” She batted her now dry eyelashes at him and he puffed out his chest.

“It wouldn't have helped much until we stopped walking so hard.”

“It's the best. Whew! Who knew that your own breath could turn against you like that? It kept crustin up my scarf, cutting me and making me colder.”

“Yep.” He ran his finger gently down one of the pink bobs of her hat that had turned from cloth fuzz to icicle. “Tell me if you need it again soon.”

“Thanks, Doctor.” She clapped her hands and looked around. “What next?”

“Well, we seem to have two choices.” He nodded at the intersection. “We could go to the source of the disturbance by the villagers over there...”

“Or?”

“Or we could see where those footsteps lead off to.”

A lone pair of footsteps stood out deep in the snow leading resolutely to the left.

“You've already made up your mind, haven't you?”

He grinned proudly. “What makes you say that?”

“You could just as easily have let me warm up by those fire barrels over there. But you soniced me dry. So spill, Doctor. You think those footsteps belong to that man, don't you? The one that fought the glassblower?”

“Yep. He was the only person causing a fuss that didn't leave the market early on. That makes him the resistance.” He tapped his head. “And me, well, every now and then I like to know what I'm up against before deposing the local politicians. Even if they're alien.” He looked down at her. “Too easy to replace one bad person with another that way. Or accidentally depose someone who's actually doin' the most good. Plus,” he shrugged lightly. “he wasn't as well dressed for the walk as the others.”

Rose grinned, “Considerate of you.” She liked it when the Doctor dropped his facade long enough to show how much he actually cared. He _was_ vinegar, bluff and bluster, but he would also always be there if any life form needed him. Monster, or otherwise. It was who he was. Besides, Rose had other reasons for wanting to go along with his suggestion. With the return of warmth to her face and digits, she felt much better, but she still hadn't planned on taking on the Master so footsore and exhausted. A dangerous and perhaps personal confrontation was something she very much wanted to be fit for. Also, she was in no rush to make the Doctor angry at her.

“Let's go left, then.” Hopefully, it would be a much shorter walk.

It was. The road to the left seemed to lead out of Lornsdorf valley and on towards the mountain range beyond it. Commerce from other regions must reach the village from this road. Chipped into the upper crags of the mountain, the path didn't need to gain height, instead it followed the hills natural curves and contours. This made it mercifully flat and easy to navigate. After the original slog upwards, Rose considered the walk easy in comparison and marveled at how swiftly their feet moved along the track. She could finally look around and appreciate how high they had climbed. There was even a strange glow on the ground up ahead. Like the reflection of flame that must come from a source right around that bend over there...

The Doctor pulled her back by the scruff of her jacket. “Wait, Rose. Listen up!”

They crouched down into the deeper shadows that embraced the sides of the road. Around the bend, they could the path end in a messy barricade of smashed carts, boards, and furniture, effectively blocking road access from both sides. In front of the barricade, illuminated by a large bonfire, stood a rabble of hard-looking men with clubs and shovels. They were currently inspecting something trussed up before them.

“I think we made the right turn, Rose.”

“Wait, is that him?” She crawled out further to get a better look and the Doctor caught her by the curve of her ankle.

“Don't make me sit on you.”

“He's not looking good, Doctor. What're they gonna do to him?”

“Shhhhh, I don't know but we have to be careful. Hypnosis on these types usually doesn't leave much behind but the worst.”

“So we break it?”

“Follow me.”

They crawled closer hugging the spots of shade along the cliff. They hadn't needed a torch earlier because the moon's reflection on the snow had effectively lit up the area. Now the moon's glow worked against them. They ducked into a shallow storm drain a couple meters away from where the rabble was gathered. Water trickled over Rose's knees and mittens soaking them through entirely. She felt excited. Up close, the men were a hard unshaven bunch that seemed nothing worse than trouble. One of the big burly oafs was even twirling a baton that he let it smack into his palm every couple of seconds or so.

“If you've taken her I'll make you regret it!” She recognized the hoarse voice of the blond man they'd crossed earlier at the glassmith's shop. The poor man's words seemed braver than he actually sounded. He was obviously plenty scared as well as determined.

The ruffians chuckled at the empty bravado and one surly man stepped forward to kick him in the stomach. Hard. The would-be-hero groaned and sucked desperately for air. The casual violence was horrifying, but what really gave Rose goosebumps was how mechanical the kick had looked. Even the subsequent hoots and chuckles at the victim's discomfort sounded canned. It felt as if the ruffians were simply following some unseen script. That their actions were those of soulless puppets going through the motions.

A shovel-wielding ragamuffin stepped forward and nudged the victim with his foot.

“Go back to work.”

“Not until I know if you've taken her.” The man sounded less defiant now. Just spent and desperate. “Listen, she has long brown hair, green eyes. She would have been walking very slowly....”

The shovel-wielder looked back at the baton-smacker with a dead-eyed stare. “He won't work.”

“Oh, this is no good,” the Doctor muttered beside her. “They're questioning him according to a checklist. If he doesn't fit specifications, they'll kill him.”

“How do we stop them?”

“It's possible to talk a reasonably intelligent person out of hypnosis. In a group we'd have to isolate the leader...”

The leaders grip slipped on his baton. It flew right past the nose of his neighbor and hit the fellow standing beyond with a thunk. The luckless bandit went down like a sack of potatoes. His friends watched him collapse with blank stupid eyes.

“Yep. Nevermind. That won't work.” The Doctor righted himself into a crouch and turned his gaze towards her. There was an anticipatory glint in his eye that made her own heartbeat race in response. “We'll just have to go with the old standby.”

“We have a standby?”

“Distract and run, Rose. Distract and run.” He grabbed her hands and gave them a gentle pat. “Good luck, then.”

“Wha?”

But the Doctor was already gone.

Rose cursed soundly, then grinned at the familiar rush of adrenaline. Up ahead, the shovel-wielder gestured menacingly and she knew the blond man didn't have that much longer left to live. Sometimes, she felt as if her life had become one amazing comedy show with a serving of deadly serious on the side. She always got the urge to laugh at the worst parts but maybe that was just because she was confused about which part in the story she was at.

She crawled forwards and eyed the line of the barricade. Yeah, that would do. She just needed a couple of moments to get past....

“Ahoy there, Gentlemen! Am I glad I found you! Or perhaps, it should be you glad you found me.” The Doctor's voice boomed over from behind her and she took the moment of distraction to worm her way further along the storm drain. From her new angle, she could just make out the Doctor grinning like it was the first of Christmas and thumping the nearest ruffian punishingly on the back. “My word, aren't you a brute? Part of the imperial guard, yes? No? Shame. Find me later and we'll see what we can do. Cheers.” He strode straight into the center of the group, casually grabbed the shovel off the would-be-murderer, and leaned lazily up against it. There should be a law against the way the Doctor lounged against everyday objects, Rose decided. Perhaps she wasn't alone in the thought, cause to a man, the bandits turned away from her to stand and regard the Doctor with silent menace.

Deftly, she darted out of the gutter and into the shadow of the barricade. Oh, who was she fooling anyway? She loved this. She loved each and every single mental bit of it.

“Who's in charge here?” The Doctor threw his new appropriation over his shoulder and sauntered back towards the outside of the group. The bandits' gaze shifted along with him, giving Rose just enough room to maneuver. “You didn't hear this from me, but I've got access to an amazing ultra sonic secret weapon. See? Shiny.” She heard a whirr. “Could win you points with your boss, eh? You oafs have a big powerful boss, yes? Generous with the favors? Likes shiny, pointy things?”

The blond man was lying only a couple steps away from Rose now. He was trussed up right along the outer ring of bandit backs. He followed her movements with wide blue eyes and she put an admonishing finger to her lips. He nodded silently and rolled over towards her so she could access his bonds. The poor soul looked the worse for wear. He had a black eye, and several deep cuts along his forehead, back, and arms. He'd been tied by his wrists and ankles with a thick braided rope. That would have to go. She crouched down low and got to work on loosening the knot that held him. It wasn't tied tightly but it was still taking far too much time to unravel. Almost beside her, she could hear the rabble growing restless, shifting around, and letting out displeased grunts. It sounded like the Doctor was now demonstrating something with the shovel and the backside of a bandit. Their charade was wearing thin. She cursed herself for not having brought a knife with her. The two of them tended to avoid weapons, spending much more time in lock-up than out in the elements, but a Swiss-army knife would just have to start coming along. Angrily, she grabbed a sharp-looking rock from the ground and began to fray at the rope with vigor.

The young man caught her gaze and started to desperately shake his head. There was a stillness in the air that didn't seem to come a from lack of wind. It felt almost like the world was holding its breath. The threads frayed and snapped.

When Rose looked up, every pair of eyes in the clearing were on her.


	4. Stardust

_We are all but stardust, in the end._

_-Carl Segan_

 

“Oh, crud.”

Awful how the last possible words of her life were such a let down. There was more to her than scared surprise, Rose was sure, but as the entire group of bandits stared fiercely down at her she couldn't think of a single other thing that she was.

Time had frozen into an infinite moment at the instant of her discovery but now, like a rubber band stretched just to its breaking point, time snapped back into place. The wind whipped and the bandits stirred. Rose felt beads of sweat form behind her ears and the young man she'd recently untied shifted fearfully beneath her hands. The former shovel-wielder puffed, snorted and lumbered threateningly towards them. Instinctively, Rose scrabbled backwards before him, but managed to catch herself and make herself stand instead. She should talk. The Doctor always talked at times like this.

“Hullo! uuuhm, hi. Before you do anything rash you should probably hear us out. Or let us introduce ourselves. It's not.....uummm, we haven't....” Rose trailed off weakly as her possible assailant wavered and paused three steps before her. He gaped and groped at the air, his thick fingers opening and closing uselessly before him. With dawning horror, Rose realized that the brute was just now understanding that his hands no longer held the shovel. His face crinkled in honest confusion, then contorted wildly, neck straining and fingers clenched into white-knuckled fists.

“No. Wait. Wait!” Rose cried, but with a bellow of mad disappointment the brute raised both his arms to solid triangles beside his face and charged them like a raging bull.

“Rose!”

Rose screamed, tripped, and fell over backwards. The blond man she'd freed rolled in front of her and managed to tangle himself between the legs of the oncoming giant just as his hulking form reached out to bowl her over. Together, the two men tumbled into a heap of fists and elbows.

Another fist came at her from the right and only a knee-jerk reaction saved her face to let it glance off her shoulder instead. She spun round with the blow and a gnarly hand grabbed hold of her jacket front to bring her face to face with another foul-mouthed bandit ready for violence.

Rose pinched, twisted, and ran for cover at the foot of the barricade.

Her second assailant wasn't far behind her. She dove for a chair thrown at the base of the barricade and pulled herself in behind it. He pawed at her through the rails and she gave him a great big kick in the face. Cartilage crunched beneath the heel of her boot. Another adrenaline-fueled kick to the chest tipped him away from her and gave her just enough room to flee. Panting, she crawled further into the debris of the barricade. Snow and rock dug at her hands through drenched mittens and her sleeve caught and tore on a nail sticking out of the narrow hole of her passage. At the spokes of an old wagon wheel, Rose finally stopped her panicked rush to risk a glance out at the battle. The shovel-wielder and the blond man were still having it out in a struggling heap upon the ground. Even as she watched, the thug gained the upper hand and forced her new friend into a punishing headlock. Horrified, Rose cried out and scrabbled desperately around herself for a weapon. Her hands closed around a fist-sized rock and without hesitating she pulled herself halfway out of her shelter and aimed the rock at the bandit's big thick stupid nob. She lobbed the rock with all her might.

There came a sharp crack, the smell of ozone, and then silence. 

The stone sailed in a wide arc just above its intended target and landed with a harmless thunk by the edge of the fire. The thug, already in motion by the time the missile had left her hand, slumped and fell heavily to the ground.

It took Rose a couple of seconds to realize that all activity in the clearing had died. Every one of the bandits lay collapsed on the ground, still and lifeless, as if they'd all been simultaneously knocked unconscious. It hadn't been her.

Rose struggled free of the barricade and ran into the clearing.

“Doctor! Doctor?”

She found him standing still as stone with his back turned to her and surrounded by a pile of collapsed bandits. Rose stilled her breath in fright then ran over to throw her arms around him from behind.

“Doctor! You all right?”

For several horrible seconds he stood stiff and unyielding. Then, thankfully, she felt him stir and shift his form to look down at her. His eyes shone fierce and bright, like the ice cut out of the heart of a frozen sea. Yet even as she watched, they gentled somewhat, and he managed to gather himself enough to give her a strained half-smile and a comforting bob of the head.

“Yep. It's all settled.” He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. “But not before things got a bit tight there, yeah?” He turned and put his hands on her shoulders to look her over intently. “You get hurt?” His voice rose to a soft question at the end, his stance casual, tone light.

“Nope, got in a scuffle but it's our new friend who received the worst of it. Tripped that bandit up. Gave me a chance to get away."

They glanced back at the blond man, who was groaning loudly and struggling out from underneath the weight of his assailant. He would need looked after, poor thing. He'd really been in the thick of it all day.

“What did you do, Doctor? Are we safe now?”

“I stuck them in a temporary feedback loop. Reversed the polarity of the neural flow in their hypnosis. Knocked them straight out.” He grinned maniacally at her and bent over to check the eyes of one of the bandits lying prone by his feet. Carefully, he rolled the body over and began to check the pulse, the breathing. “Should have thought of it earlier, really.” He fiddled with his sonic, switched the settings, muttered at what he found there. “Every evil genius I've met always forgets to shield against changing the polarity. Typical. It's almost funny.” Rose didn't think he looked like laughing.

“You sure you're not hurt, Doctor?” She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Looks like most of them came after you.”

“What, me? No. Couldn't lay a finger on me. I'm an old hand at keepin' meself safe.” He moved on to check the vitals of another bandit slumped over on his side. He gestured down at him. “Venusian aikido. Don't like to use it nowadays, bit flash really, but my former self was a bit of a savant.”

It was both natural and impossible to imagine the Doctor cutting his way gracefully through a sea of armed opponents. It was easy to imagine his skill and force in the fight, but impossible to imagine the heart. He was a pacifist, her Doctor. Gruff in the face of ignorance and greed, yes. Charismatic in the face of danger. Ruthless when justice had to be served. Yet, he hadn't moved once to defend himself when she'd first met him. And all but during that one personal confrontation with the Dalek had he chosen to run or bluff his way out of trouble rather than use force.

She glanced again at the pile of bodies around his feet. She hoped he hadn't behaved that way for her sake.

She heard another lengthy groan and moved across the clearing to help the blond man find his way to his feet. “You gonna be okay, mate?”

“Yes. Thank you.” The man shook his head slightly and winced at the movement. “Who would have thought receiving a blow on the left jaw would make it throb more on the right?” He shrugged self-consciously and gave a painful smile. “I am grateful for the rescue. I am Kristjan.” He offered his hand to shake but a wave of dizziness overtook him and Rose stepped in quickly for support. The poor man blinked a couple times, stretched his jaw to check the angle of the fit and snapped his teeth back into place. “Have you two seen another person in the area?” He asked hopefully. “A girl, perhaps?”

“No, sorry mate, we haven't.” Rose answered sympathetically and walked him back to rest against the wagon wheel. Kristjan sighed softly and closed his eyes. “It was only a slight hope in asking.”

“They're coming round now, you two. Sit still and stay back.” The Doctor sounded cool and confident which did loads for Rose's stretched nerves. There was no way the three of them could handle another confrontation in their present condition.

The bandits stirred and seemed to only slowly come back to their senses. One by one, they rose on unsteady legs and stood like sheep looking blankly around. When their eyes lit upon the Doctor they focused expectantly on him, until the whole group was finally standing and looking squarely at him.

“Cause that's not disturbing at all.” Rose muttered quietly.

“All right you lot! You swore your master to serve and obey. So listen up! Your duty is to return and report to that master.” The Doctor stood firm and proud in the center of the soundless ring. Arms crossed, chin held high, he was the epitome of strength and authority. “Your will is to follow. Your role is complete. Your duty is to return. Now.”

One by one the bandits processed the message, their faces shifting as they tried to work out how the command fit in terms of their hypnosis. Slowly, the message took hold and they began to trickle back along the path they'd come from. The movement of a few initiated a snowball effect to get the rest of the herd underway. Rose heaved a huge relieved sigh and settled down next to Kris as the last of them lumbered off. She was glad to see them leave and even happier to see that all of them were in good enough of condition to walk. Even the one with the broken nose disappeared slowly into the night.

“Well, I'm glad that worked.” The Doctor said lightly as he picked his way towards them. “Classic redirection. Couldn't break the hypnosis by force. So I sent them off like good little lads instead.”

“Their master will know we're here.” Rose said worriedly, wincing at the title. The thought of their opponent made her reach for the comforting bulge in her pocket of only to curse herself for a fool when she felt it. What use was carrying a defensive weapon if she forgot to use it?

“Yes, but our opponent won't really know what to make of us, will he? We made no direct threats, displayed no motive. There's not much information to get out of that rabble anyway.” He knelt down by Rose and Kristjan and gave them both a piercing look-over. His eyes had lightened from the color of ice to steel. Familiar as his gaze was, it still seemed to shoot straight through her.

“Kristoff, is it?”

“Kristjan. I'm not really from around here.”

“Is that so? Well, neither are we. I'm the Doctor and this here is Rose.”

Rose gave a grin and waved her hand in greeting. “Hullo.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you both.”

“Here Rose, let's see if we can help our new friend with this collection of bruises he's gathered. Mind giving a hand?” Together the Doctor and Rose took stock of Kristjan's condition and methodically worked their way from the most serious injuries on up. The Doctor produced a clean rag from his pockets and got to work ridding the wounds of grit and dirt. Rose followed over the cleaned areas alternately with the disinfectant setting and then the skin binding setting on the sonic. Slowly, the worst of Kristjan's cuts and gashes faded away.

That done, the Doctor solemnly asked Kristjan's permission to handle him, and after receiving a tentative affirmative, he held Kristjan's arm behind his back, pushed down firmly on his shoulder and simultaneously straight up against his middle back. There came a faint popping sound as ribs shifted back into place and Kristjan immediately sagged down in relief. His face eased of many pained wrinkles and he gave both the Doctor and Rose a grateful look.

“There's a good chance yer lower ribs are broken. But I'd like to get you back to the TARDIS first before handling them.”

Kristjan smiled good naturedly despite his incomprehension. “The relief of the pain is enough to let me gladly bear the rest. Besides, I have still not decided what path I must take next.”

The Doctor nodded in understanding and turned his knife like gaze on Rose. “And now...”

“What?”

“Your right shoulder, you're favoring it.”

“Oh, yeah.” She rolled her shoulder forward and winced at the process. “It got bruised in the fight.”

“Let me see.” The Doctor gently removed her coat and pulled aside her outer layers to lay her shoulder bare. Twisting her chin, Rose could see that her shoulder was already turning purple with the makings of a dark bruise. The Doctor hissed through his teeth.

“Pretty impressive, right?” Rose joked and then turned to Kristjan to lighten the mood. “It'll match the one on your ribs. Like twins.”

Kristjan smiled politely and Rose grimaced at the Doctor's resounding silence. Frostily he fixed up the bruise and then checked her over for more. They hadn't had the time to fix all but the worst injuries on Kristjan, but the Doctor made sure that each and every sign on her own shoulder, knees, and hands disappeared completely. Rose bared her teeth and bore it. If the dunce wanted to punish himself for the mistakes she chose to make, then she was in the mind to let him. No matter how hard she tried, he wouldn't believe her when she explained that she understood the dangers of traveling with him. Well, if the idiot couldn't see past himself to look at her, she'd give him time to mope.

She glanced at Kristjan to distract herself. He was a handsome man under all that dirt, with a dimpled smile, and a self-depreciating air. His slight stature and boyish disposition had fooled her into thinking he was around her age. However, a closer look revealed deep laugh lines and folds around his eyes that placed him in his early thirties.

“What happened this morning, Kristjan?” She teased, as the Doctor released her knuckles and began to carefully dry her gloves. “Did you wake up and say to yourself: I'm in the mood for a fight today! I'm going to scrap with every person I come across! Burly or old!”

Kristjan huffed and ran a hand through his hair in embarrassment. “The situation did not play out exactly in that manner.” He glanced down at his scuffed attire and then smiled back at them. “But from my the look of my present condition, it might as well have started out that way.”

He closed his eyes and leaned back heavily against the wagon wheel. When he did speak again it was with an air of grave resignation. Like he had been holding desperately to hope for a long while now and no longer knew where it would lead him.

“I'm looking for my lost love.”

Rose perked visibly.

“A lost love! How romantic! That girl your searching for! Where did you lose her?”

“Kari.” The breath of her name was lovestruck and anguished all at once.

“Oh, Kari. I came to see her, but she was gone by the time I came to Lornsdorf three weeks ago.” Kristjan sighed. “Five days after my arrival, the barricade was erected and the village began to work the gravel mines instead of the market. I have been searching for her ever since.”

“Maybe, she doesn't want to be found.” The Doctor's voice was grave and measured.

Kristjan winced and shifted uncomfortably.

“There is a chance of truth in that statement.” He admitted reluctantly. “She does not know that I am here. In fact, she may not even remember who I am.”

Rose and the Doctor glanced at each other in surprise.

“But, Rose, Doctor, know this!” Kristjan's eyes opened and his features sharpened with the strength of his conviction. “Before I leave this place, I _will_ find her! I _will_ make sure that she is safe, that she has family, and that she is happy. I must know if she is alive. After that....” He sagged back again.”I put my fate in her hands.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

The wind had fallen still and night draped its deep mantel over the Northern sphere. Looking up into its depths, its reach seemed vast and endless. Like gravity could shift in an instant and draw the observer up into its infinite space.

The three wanderers had found their feet and were now slowly making their way back down the mountain's edge. As their elevation dropped, the moon's light was lost behind a peak and in its absence the sky opened up before them. The road curved ahead in an ocean of white and the Milky Way, so dense that it looked much like a cloud, bowed down in an arc to meet it. It was as if the three travelers were walking straight into the sky; swimming in stars; and in that instant of weightlessness, time ceased to matter and stood still in its glory.

Jötunnfell, the major peak Kristjan had pointed out during their descent, was a shadowed and patterned mass behind them. Ancient and weighty it was only made visible by the stars sprinkled around its sharp edges. The other mountains rose up in invisible magnificence to the left, unseen in the darkness, but looming nonetheless. The velvet blackness of the sky behind gave deeper shape to their forms, darkness resting upon darkness, both fading in and out of one another, and from their fluid merging shadows the Milky Way rose like a breaching whale. The universe made clear. The arms of the galaxy shining in an arc above, lighting up the sky and falling like a waterfall back down towards the road ahead of them. There was no horizon, no obstruction, only black and white and the spiral of stars that circled around them. For the first time on earth, Rose could actually see the top of the world. The spherical shape of the globe was visible in the Milky Way's arc. There was no line, it was an arch, and on the crux of the earth the three companions walked the road of stars.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

“We must be there. _Tell me_ that we're almost there.” Rose whined as they shuffled around yet another mountain switchback. The three had decided over an hour ago to head back down to the village. They had agreed to rest up before attempting to explore the mine again. Even Kris had been amenable with the decision and seemed comforted that he wouldn't be taking on the mining facility alone in his search for Kari on the morrow. 

Rose glanced up again at the infinite splendor of the sky. It had an energizing effect on her. It made her feel as if she had a place in an infinitly wide cosmos. That the weightlessness she found in its depths could finally make her feel like the Doctor. He had told her he could feel the world turn. That even without the majesty of night, and snow, and sky, he could feel the earth spin on its axis around the sun, and feel the sun turn about the galaxy, and feel the galaxy turn and undulate around yet another group of galaxies till....Rose shook her head, until he must be dizzy, more like. Dizzy, all the time. She tested to see if her digits were still there in the cold and thought longingly of the moment when she could stop walking. The sky was magnificent, but the weariness, and the ache of two long expeditions, a street tussle, and an unknown future encounter with a dangerous opponent were enough reason to let her want to leave the mysteries of the cosmos for another night. What she needed now was a nice soft feather bed and a huge warm meal in its stead. Hot tea. Nice mulled wine......ugh!

Trying to keep herself optimistic, she bounded up to the Doctor and punched him in the arm. Shared pain was shared love and experience.

“Hey there!”

“Owwwww! Rose!” He rubbed his arm accusingly. “That hurts you know!”

“Oh, come off it. I was thinking of our conversation up this awfully large mountain. You know, when we were disscussin' zombies, werewolves and the like, and I came up with a question for you.”

“Did you, Rose Tyler?”

She loved how often he said her name.

“Oh, yes. I did.” She twirled and skipped backwards in front of the Doctor. She could see him smiling and felt her own heart lighten in response. It was cold out, but its very existence warmed the heart.

“It's a very good question, Doctor.”

“It could be. Care to share with the class?”

Rose grinned and stopped right in front of him. He came to a halt to avoid bumping into her and the two stood face to face grinning at each other for a couple seconds.

“What do you get if you cross a vampire and a snowman?”

He guffawed. He gave a great big deep belly laugh that seemed to surprise even him. Rose giggled in response and laughed outright as the Doctor came back to himself with a glint in his eye.

“Frostbite!” They chorused and dissipated into giggles again. That simple joke, in that instant, Rose felt, was so much funnier because it was they who had shared it.

“Children,” Kris joked coming to rest beside them. “Look down. It seems like we are finally here.”

Rose yelled in delight as she spotted the lights of Lornsdorf glittering down below. She couldn't wait to warm up and eat and take the longest soak of her life. She was not walking up this mountain again. The Doctor was going to go get them the TARDIS if it killed her. As beautiful as Norway was, it was time to go home and be warm.

The Master could wait until tomorrow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

The Master sat on his guilded throne and pouted.

His posture remained superb and poised, he was after all, a professional, but he let his eyebrows droop a little and ran his finger sullenly through his fine moustache. Yes, how very vexing. The situation definitely warranted a minor pout.

His nemesis had been here already. He'd been in town for almost a day and _he_ hadn't seen fit to drop by for a visit.

The Master sighed, irritated, and thrust his arm out with an authoritative flick of the wrist.

“Begone, rabble. Go forth and guard the road.”

His minions scraped and scrabbled and eventually rose to make a break for the door, but as soon as they had found their courage to move, the Master stood again and reigned supreme before them.

“I only expect two things, mortals.” He boomed. “Your submission and your obedience to MY WILL! Never leave your stations again! Disobey me and I shall turn your puny lives into my personal plaything.”

The true severity of the threat was lost on his audience who simply broke into a mad scramble for the exit. Their leader reached it first only to be tripped and trampled by the crowd behind.

The Master sighed, exasperated again and turned to pace the glacial stairway. He strode masterfully, with both arms clasped straight behind his back, each ending turn executed with quick, precise movements. He was, after all, a man of taste and class.

He felt under-appreciated. Not one of those fools had marveled at how he could turn time itself to his own will. How he could stretch it, mold it, and twist it to fit their very own intimate nightmares. What a drag. And his one true enemy had alas, seen fit to stand him up.

What cowardly impudence! What rude discourtesy! And since when did that renegade shield his thoughts so mercilessly? He was the Academy's worst temporal telepath. Always bungling through space-time with his thoughts ablaze for every fool to see.

Wait. Was he perhaps playing it safe? Had his rival perchance begun scheming to overthrow him? Had he finally learned to appreciate the subtle maneuvers of the game?

The Master stood stock still for a moment and then threw his chest out to loose a bunce of maniacal laughter.

“Mwahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaa! At long last the Doctor has acknowledged the true threat that I pose! He won't be disappointed. I stand at the brink of global domination!”

A lackey stood servile by the door. “Would the Master like to have this Doctor brought to him?”

The Master considered and then let out the perfect practiced sneer.

“Unnecessary. That caped idiot is probably out making friends with the indigenous population. Learning local customs and...” The Master looked physically ill for a moment “perchance _dancing_ to some local tune.”

He grabbed his hat and overcoat and made for his TARDIS door.

He'd find him easily enough.

The buffoon was probably in a pub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> brownie points to those who can guess the name of the next chapter!
> 
> Also, I'm editing the previous chapters a bit to flow better. Adding characterization, revising language. I will be done with it tomorrow and it should be the last time I revise a chapter after a post! :)


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